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Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett talks with owner Jerry Jones in the war room during round one of the 2017 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 27, 2017 at The Star in Frisco, Texas. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)

FRISCO -- Jerry Jones said the turnout Thursday for the Cowboys' NFL draft party at The Star "far exceeded" his expectations.

Several thousand fans packed onto the Ford Center field well before the team picked Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton 28th overall just before 10:30 p.m. The Cowboys owner took a break from the war room a few picks into the first round to address the crowd from a stage overlooking the field.

In total, 7,761 attended the draft party at the Star.

Jones made it clear he wants an even bigger party at the club's new team headquarters next April.

Take a peek at the Cowboys' new NFL draft 'war room' at The Star in Frisco

"I have a dream. I really do have a dream that we might be standing right here next year, and the entire NFL draft be right here," Jones said. "We want that to happen. We really do."

The Cowboys are considered among the favorites to host the 2018 NFL draft. They're one of 14 cities to bid for the rights, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday on NFL Network.

The draft had long been based in New York before moving to Chicago the previous two years. Philadelphia is the host this year. The draft has never been held in Texas. Goodell said the NFL won't make a decision on which city will host the 2018 NFL draft until this year's draft is complete.

"When we left New York, we really found out that this is a great opportunity to engage more fans," Goodell said. "I think we're going to continue to move it around. Whether we do it every year, that's a different question."

Jones shared a story with the fans Thursday night at The Star about seeing the Astrodome in Houston for the first time during his senior season at Arkansas as a 20-year-old.

Jones fought back tears as he fired up the crowd.

"I looked at that Astrodome and I thought what could it be like to compete in something like this, but more important who could dream of something like this. Who could even dream of how to build something like this? How does it happen. Where does it come from?" Jones said, his eyes watering. "I want you to know that 35 years later I knew that when we went there when I was 20 it could be done and it was done by a human being and it was done by somebody who thought big and it was done by somebody who thought they could do it. I knew I could build that AT&T Stadium. I knew I could. Let me tell you something else that happens when you put that in young people, they'll do better than when they were 20. That AT&T Stadium is six damn times bigger than the Astrodome!"